Scarfing apparatus for upright ingots



Feb. 11, 1969 .1. LAMBRECHT- ET AL 3,427,012

SCARFING APPARATUS FOR UPRIGHT INGOTS Filed May 17, 1966 Sheet of 2 v INVENTORS:

JOSEF LAMBRECHT GEORG STADLMANN THEIR ATTORNEYS Feb. 11, 1969 J. LAMBRECHT ET AL SCARFIM: APPARATUS FOR UPRIGHT meows Sheet Filed May 17, 1966 INVENTORS: JOSEF LAMBRECHT GEORG STADLMANN THEIR ATTORNEYS United States Patent A 5,192/ 65 US. Cl. 266-23 6 Claims Int. Cl. B23k 7/06 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A scarfing apparatus for upright ingots is described comprising a plurality of individually movable and adjustable scarfing burners supported from a carriage. To perform the scarfing operation, the burners are individually adjusted to conform to the shape of the ingot and the carriage raised along a vertical guide column at the desired speed. Each burner is guided over the ingot surface by a liquid cooled feeler and is spring-urged to follow the surface. The vertical guide column is suspended from a frame movable in a direction parallel to the surface to be scarfed and the burner carriage is movable in a direction perpendicular to the surface, to allow universal positioning.

The scarfing of ingots and blooms for improving the surface finish and removing faults has become an established practice in metallurgy. Scarfing is much superior to mechanical surface-finishing processes. Since ingots present less surface area for a given weight than blooms or slabs, greater output and lower loss of material are achieved when the scarfing operation is performed on ingots, rather than on blooms or slabs. The economy of the scarfing process is increased when it is applied to hot ingots, immediately after stripping, at temperatures of l0O0-1200 C. This operation will result in a highly effective scarfing to a large depth, which depends on the scarfing speed and the temperature of the stock being scarfed. At a given scarfing speed, the largest scarfing depth and the best surface finish will be obtained when hot ingots are being scarfed. When the hot ingots are scarfed immediately after the stripping, the ingots can be charged into the soaking pit with the least heat losses. As a result, the scarfing of hot ingots is much more economical than the scarfing of blooms or slabs.

A scarfing device has already been known which comprises a burner adapted to be vertically movable along an upright ingot, said burner being arranged in a cage slewable around the ingot axis. The construction described, however, involves difiiculties and troubles insofar as the operator is insufiiciently protected from heat radiation and the burner flame cannot be adjusted satisfactorily to the ingot surface.

It is an object of the present invention to avoid the difiiculties described by providing a scarfing apparatus, which can be remotely controlled and which enables a highly automatic adjustment of the scar'l'ing burners to an ingot which is crowned in horizontal and vertical cross-section. The scarfing apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that individually movable scarfing burners provided with automatic burner spacing means are suspended from a stable guide column, which is movable on wheels in a horizontal direction. The movements of the individual scarfing burners are effected immediately after scarfing has begun and under the action of an electric motor or of hydraulic means and under manual control or programmed automatic control. At the end of the ingot, the scarfing operation is terminated by a limit control switch, the supply of scarfing oxygen is shut cit and the scarfing burner is raisedat high speed. The scarfing apparatus may be provided with flue gas removing means comprising a stationary or movable hood.

Further details of the invention will become apparent from the accompanying drawings in conjunction with the following description.

FIG. 1 is a side elevation showing the scarfing apparatus according to the invention, FIG. 2 a transverse sectional view showing a crowned ingot, and FIG. 3 an elevation showing the apparatus of FIG. 1.

Two parallel beams 1 are secured to the building structure. A frame 2 is movable on skids 3 or wheels along rails 4 mounted on said beams parallel to the ingot surface to be scarfed. This movement may be imparted to the frame 2 by an electric motor drive or by hydraulic cylinders 23 (FIG. 3). A guide column 5 is suspended from the frame 2 and carries the vertically movable carriage 6. The lifting movement of the carriage 6 may also be effected by an electric motor or a hydraulic jack 7 (FIG. 3), from which a rope 8 extends, which passes around a pulley 9 secured to the end of the piston rod. By this arrangement, the scarfing stroke is reduced at a ratio of 1:2. Thus, the lifting speed of the carriage is infinitely variable and the carriage can be held in any position.

The carriage 6 is provided with two guide rods 10, which carry the jib arm 11, on which the scarfing burners 12 are individually mounted to be movable independently from each other. The movement of the scarfing burner nozzles 12 to a position in which they are close to the ingot surface 14 to be scarfed may be effected by an electric motor or by a hydraulic cylinder 13. This movement is also infinitely variable and the guide rods can be held in any position.

The guide rods 10 are mounted in bushings 15 of grey cast iron. Each scarfing burner 12 and its mounting 22 form an exchangeable unit. The mounting 22 is pivoted in the jib arm 11. The hydraulic cylinder 1'3 urges the scar-fing burners towards the ingot surface to be scarfed. A spring strut 16 permits of an adjustment of each scarfing burner to the ingot surface irrespective of a crowned horizontal cross-section or an irregularity of the vertical cross-section.

For the guidance of the scarfing burners .12 over the surface to be scarfed, each burner is provided with a water-cooled feeler 17, which ensures a constant distance between the burner and the surface of the ingot. This feeler 17 comprises a tube, through which a coolant flows, and has such a curved shape that it can vertically and horizontally slide on the ingot.

Each scarfing burner is also provided with a hydraulic locking cylinder 18, which ensures an adjustment of the burner 12 to the crowned shape of the ingot. When the scarfing operation begins, the scarfing burners are moved close to the ingot and the locking cylinders 18 are locked so that the burners are adjusted to the shape of the ingot for the initial scarfing. When scarfing has been initiated and the individual water-cooled feelers 17 contact the ingot, the locking cylinders 18 are released.

It will be seen then, that the burners 12 are pivotable in their mountings and that the spring struts 16 maintain the feelers 17 urged against the ingot surface. The two springs 19 and the limit switch 20 disposed in the longitudinal axis of the burners prevent the burners from damage in case they run up on the ingot. Protection against the heat radiation from the ingot is afforded by a wall 21, which may be water-cooled.

The apparatus according to the invention may be duplicated with one apparatus on each side of the ingot,

so that two opposite sides of the ingot can be scarfed at the same time.

What we claim is:

1. A scarfing apparatus for upright ingots comprising, a frame adapted to be movable in a horizontal direction parallel to the ingot surface to be scarfed, a vertical guide column fixed to said frame for movement therewith, a plurality of independently movable burners supported from said guide column, means for moving said burners in a horizontal direction perpendicular to said ingot surface, and means individually adjusting said burners to scarfing position.

2. A scarfing apparatus for upright ingots comprising, a frame adapted to be movable in a horizontal direction parallel to a vertical ingot surface to be scarfed, a vertical guide column fixed to said frame for movement therewith, a carriage mounted on said guide column and adapted to be raised and lowered along said column, said carriage including burner support means and guide means for moving said burner support means in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the surface to be scarfed, and a plurality of independently adjustable scarfing burners carried by said burner support means and adapted to be individually moved and adjusted to scarfing position.

3. A scarfing apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said burner support means includes a jib arm in which a number of mountings holding a scarfing burner each are pivoted, each mounting and its burner 'being urged towards the ingot surface to be scarfed by the action of a spring, and each burner having a feeler at its end which ensures correct adjustment of the burner to the ingot surface.

4. A scarfing apparatus as set forth inlclaim 2, wherein said guide means includes a plurality of guide rods mounted on said carriage for horizontal movement, each of said guide rods being connected at one end to said burner support means and its other end to an hydraulic cylinder for controlling the horizontal displacement of the guide rod and the burner support means.

5. A scarfing apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the supporting construction of said burners is protected against radiation from the ingot surface by shielding means.

6. A scarfing apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein each scarfing burner comprises a locking means, by which the burner can be locked in a position in which it is adjusted to the cross-sectional shape of the ingot.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 508,476 11/1893 =Horton 212-26 2,125,176 7/1938 Jones 266-23 2,223,451 12/1940 Jones et al. 266-23 2,223,452 12/1940 Jones et al. 266-23 2,231,014 2/1941 Lytle et al. 266-23 3,080,983 3/1963 Blatt 214-1 3,358,342 12/1967 Spence 25-36 WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT D. BALDWIN, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 148-95 

